Ms. Gruner earned a dual B.A. degree in International Politics and International Studies from The Pennsylvania State University in December 2010.  While at Pennsylvania State University she minored in Global Security, Middle East Studies, and German Language & Culture. Her academic path as an undergrad in college led her to study abroad in Egypt for four months. As a result of her background and studies, Ms. Gruner is fluent in English, Ukrainian, German, and Egyptian Arabic (Conversational).  She also received Mediation and Conflict Resolution Training from New Justice Conflict Resolution Services, Inc. in November 2013.   

After working as a student attorney in Syracuse, NY, and as a Legal Intern in Washington, D.C.,  Ms. Gruner continued her education by earning a Juris Doctor at Syracuse University College of Law in May 2016.   During her time at Syracuse University, Ms. Gruner decided to use her experiences and education to help families like her own in a tangible, concrete way.

Ms. Gruner has worked as a Student Attorney at the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and the Securities Arbitration and Consumer Law Clinic, as well as, a Legal Intern at Washington Kastles -Washington Team Tennis, LLC.  Her legal experiences have made her a firm believer in the importance of inclusion, diverse perspectives, and community well-being.

Ms. Gruner began her career as a lawyer on Nov 9, 2016 – the day after the last Presidential election. As a new attorney during a historically tumultuous time, she hit the ground running to help her clients navigate through the difficult times unscathed. Ms. Gruner believes it is crucial to prepare future legal advocates -whether lawyers or not- to represent immigrants’ rights within a framework that is stacked against them. She is determined to contribute to the educational effort of future legal advocates to improve the legal community as a whole.